In Search Of
by Monkeybarrel
Summary: Wild Adapter one shot. For Tokitoh, just trying to keep up with Kubota’s love of new things can be a journey in itself.


Warnings- Language

Disclaimer- Minekura Kazuya owns all that is WA

In Search Of  
  
  
Kubota always had his eyes out for new things- new games, new drinks, new candy, anything that had just hit the shelves, and the more limited it was, the more he wanted to try it.   
  
Tokitoh soon recognized the "look" that came with this. They'd be watching TV and a commercial for a new brand of tea would come on, or they'd be walking downtown and a bus would pass, its side covered with an advertisement showing off Lawson's new "insta-pizza", and he'd see it, the look. Each time Kubota would glance up from whatever he was doing, whether he was reading or walking or just sitting around. He would look up and just stop. His gaze would stay on the commercial for as long as it was on, or follow the bus for as long as it was in sight.  
  
It always made Tokitoh stop too. He'd be halfway into an argument only to notice the other boy staring off down the road. He'd yell then, and usually punch Kubota's arm until he turned back around. "Hey, are you listening?"  
  
"Mmmm…Yeah." Kubota would nod in response and then look back at the bus. Tokitoh would roll his eyes and raise his fist to hit again, but the other boy would just take his hand, stopping him. He'd look up questioning, only to see Kubota's wanting gaze off the bus and now on him.  
  
"...Kubo-chan?"  
  
"You know what?" The other boy smiled and still holding his hand, began to swing it lightly back and forth. "I'm suddenly in the mood for pizza. You want some?" And without even waiting for a response, he'd walk off, pulling Tokitoh after him.  
  
"Hey! Wha-whaddya mean pizza? We just ate!"  
  
"C'mon. It's 'Insta'. It has to be good if they call it that." And Kubota would only squeeze his hand and keep walking along.  
  
"That's what you said about that gum that tasted like soy sauce, and it sucked!" But he followed anyway. He never could beat "the look", and if he really thought about it, he didn't really mind. Because no matter how many directions Kubota went in to find these things, he always pulled him along too, so in the end, it was new to both of them.  
  
So he got used to going all around the city as these new items and their limited releases became scarcer. They spent an entire day once looking for hazelnut pocky. In the end, Kubota didn't even like it. "But wasn't today fun?" The taller boy had asked as he smiled down at him, breaking another one of the sweetened sticks in his mouth. Tokitoh only had glared back and grabbed the box away. He couldn't disagree so instead he simply stuffed his face.  
  
So, when they saw the commercial for 7-11's limited summer release of lychee-mango popsicles, Tokitoh was already putting on his shoes when Kubota started his "Mmmmm...do you know what I'm in the mood for?"  
  
But this time they couldn't find them anywhere. Each store they went to had already sold out of them. "Sorry." Every clerk shrugged and nodded towards the freezer box that was always by the door. "They were really popular, and our supply went fast."  
  
"It's the mango chunks inside," one cashier said wistfully, remembering back. "They were really good." She looked over to see their fallen faces. "Oh...sorry. I can't help you."  
  
After their tenth store, Kubota's look grew more and more down. Not that his "down" really looked that different from his usual relaxed expression, but it was the way his mouth held his cigarette, and the way he leaned in while holding the subway rings that Tokitoh noticed. It was Kubota's form of droop.   
  
"Guess we caught this one too late, huh?" Kubota said with a humorless chuckle, his body lightly swaying back and forth between the rings. And they went home, and when the commercial came on again, he never looked up from his book.  
  
The next day, Tokitoh watched as Kubota drooped on the subway down to Chinatown. The other boy just stared at the sign taped up to the roof of the car. Bright orange writing and dancing popsicles beamed back at them, their painted faces stuck in a permanent state of seasonal bliss. "Lychee-good! Mango-keen! Only this summer! Only 7-11!"  
  
"They should really take those down," he said, his voice showing just a hint of his low mood.  
  
Tokitoh scowled back at the ad. He never wanted to punch out a popsicle before, but now it seemed like it took all his restraint to keep one hand tightly holding the ring above, and the other gloved one in his pocket. When it was finally their stop, he had to content himself with flipping off the sign as they got off, leaving the smiling ice pops and several confused passengers behind.  
  
But off the train, Kubota's mood still rested on the down low. Even Kou noticed enough to inquire when they reached the shop.  
  
"Is there something I can do for you today, boys?" he asked, his hand waving to his shelves. "Perhaps some tea? I also just received a new shipment of all natural licorice." He winked at them. "Nature's laxative, as they say."  
  
Tokitoh blanched in response. "Oh, gross."  
  
Kubota simply waved off the offer. "We're just here for the deliveries. Nothing else."  
  
But as Kou took out the list of their work orders, Tokitoh started to look around the shop, and his eyes finally rested on the large book by the telephone. As Kubota prepared to head out, he reached over and took his coat sleeve, pulling back. The other boy looked down at him, his eyes questioning.  
  
"...You go ahead." Tokitoh started and then with more force. "I'm gonna stay here."  
  
"What? Here at the shop?"   
  
Both Kubota and Kou looked back at him with surprised expressions. Tokitoh just swallowed and ducked his head. "Look. Just go ahead, okay? I'll meet you here."  
  
Kubota paused for a moment and then shrugged. "Okay, whatever you want." He then nodded to Kou and headed towards the door. "See you soon then." With a final look back and a wave, he was gone.  
  
"I have to say, Tokitoh-kun. I'm very pleased that you wish to spend this time-"  
  
"Yeah, whatever." Tokitoh headed over to the phone and picked up the book. "I gotta make some phone calls, okay? So just...leave me alone." And with his back to Kou, he flipped open the book and began reading until he found what he was looking for. Then with a sigh, he picked up the phone and dialed.  
  
"Um...hi...I was wondering if you were still selling something..."  
  
After a half hour, he figured he would have been better off just trying to make them himself. "How do you friggen' make popsicles anyways?" he grumbled, slamming the book shut.  
  
Kou just sipped his tea and watched him carefully. Finally he coughed in his hand, and then coughed again until Tokitoh looked up.  
  
"If I may interrupt." He nodded towards the phone. "There's a small 7-11 around the corner, down the block. I've always noticed that it seems to keep its products on its shelves, which for the most part is not a good thing, but in your case," and he smiled as he spoke. "It might just be your luck to go down and see."  
  
Tokitoh let what he had said sink in for a moment and then jumped up from his seat. He bounded out the door, only to turn right back around. "Wait-wait-wait, where was it again?"  
  
He ran and was there in just a few minutes. He felt a cool blast of air as the doors opened up, the automated voice squeaking out "Welcome to 7-11!" as he stepped inside. His eyes went immediately to the freezer box and he ran over. The light inside was out and he had to open it to see what was inside. He ran his hand through, reaching passed ice cream bars and flavor-pops and there, below everything else, he saw a tell-tale sign of his goal, a corner of a bright cartoon popsicle smiling back at him.  
  
"YES!" he shouted, and he reached inside, but just as he was about to pull it out, he paused. Wait. Kubota wasn't there. He can't take it out, or it'll melt…  
  
He debated in his head about what to do. Take it out? Leave it? Take it out? Leave it? What do I do-what do I do-what do I do...  
  
He heard a noise behind him, and he turned to see the clerk looking over.  
  
"Ummm...you're letting the cold air out," the shop boy said, and he pointed to the box.   
  
Tokitoh dropped the lid. "Oh, sorry." He looked down at the box again. What was he supposed to do? He finally had found it. He just needed Kubota here to give it to him.  
  
His hand went to his pocket and he turned to the shop clerk. "Don't let anyone go in here!" he pointed to the freezer box. With that warning, he stepped outside and took out his phone. The other side picked up after one ring.  
  
"Just get here," was all he had said. "The 7-11 by the hack's place. Just get here, and I mean NOW."  
  
Stepping back inside, he let the cool air sweep over him again. He felt so tired, but he also felt so good. He couldn't wait to show Kubota that he, the Great Tokitoh, had found the hardest to find popsicle in Yokohama. He smiled at himself and turned back to the freezer box. Now he just had to make sure no one else-   
  
His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped. "Hey! Get away from there!"  
  
A large man in a purple flowered shirt looked up from the small freezer. "Excuse me?"  
  
Tokitoh was gripping his head. "What are you doing?"  
  
"What does it look like I'm doing, you moron?" The man glared and turned back to looking back into the box.  
  
Not a second passed and Tokitoh was next to him. His eyes were wide in horror as he saw that the man was gripping the last, the only, the hardest to find popsicle in Yokohama. His popsicle. Kubota's popsicle.  
  
His mouth kept opening, but no words were formed. The man just turned his face up and gave him a wary look. As he was about to pull his hand out of the box, Tokitoh looked around desperately for anything to help him. Anything- anything- anything-  
  
"Holy shit!" He yelled pointing outside. "She naked!"  
  
The man's eyes shot up and he dropped what Tokitoh wanted so dearly. In a flash, he reached passed the man's hand and grabbed the pop and then bolted for the cashier.   
  
"Hey! There's no one out there!" He heard the man complain behind him, followed by a "Hey, what- where's my popsicle?"  
  
He practically slammed it down on the counter. "This is all I want!"  
  
The clerk just looked at him and then to the man behind him. Tokitoh could suddenly feel warm breath on his neck, but he didn't look back. Instead he just stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a hundred yen. After he paid, he turned around to see the man almost standing right on top of him.  
  
"That was a dirty trick," he growled. The color of his shirt seemed to have blended into his skin, and his whole face was now purple.  
  
Tokitoh just glared back unfazed. "Bite me, you pervert. This is mine!" He held the popsicle up in triumph, and then keeping a careful eye on his opponent, he slipped out of the store, the "Welcome to 7-11!" chiming out as he exited.  
  
His victory lap was short lived though as he realized too late that what he had in his hands was the most limited release of all. He looked at his watch and then at the growingly wet pop, and he felt himself hit his own down low.  
  
After everything- all what the Great Tokitoh was going to have were sticky fingers and a puddle of lychee-mango juice at his feet. He slumped down at the curb, and let his head drop to his knees. He was such an idiot.  
  
A few more minutes passed, and he and his slushy popsicle stepped back inside. He averted his eyes from the purple man who was pacing by the magazines. Instead, he just walked up to the counter and bowed his head to the clerk.  
  
"Could...could I have a cup?"  
  
Sitting back on the curb with his face down, he heard the soft sound of someone sitting next to him. He didn't need to look up to know who was there. Without a word, he simply lifted the cup with the wooden stick standing up inside to the other boy.  
  
He felt warm fingers on his as he took it. The other's clean to his sticky.   
  
They sat there in silence as Kubota looked at the cup and then began to drink. After several sips, he stuck the cup under Tokitoh's nose.  
  
"Look. You can even see the mango chunks."   
  
Tokitoh looked up to see Kubota smiling down at him. He swallowed and turned away. "...sorry it's not whole."  
  
"No, this is good. It's like juice." He took another sip and then sat back. The sun was dipping behind the building, leaving them in its shadow. The air turned cool, and Tokitoh shivered in his T-shirt. He felt a hand on his back and then felt it move slowly to take his shoulder.  
  
"Do you know what this is?" Kubota asked. He held up the cup and then touched it gently to Tokitoh's forehead.  
  
He looked up. "It's a stupid melted popsicle in a cup."  
  
"No." Kubota smiled. "No, it's something else," and he spoke quietly as he lowered his head down, "It's the only one of its kind. And that's my favorite."   
  
In the shadow of the 7-11, Tokitoh tasted lychee and mango and cigarettes. It was a whole new taste, and one that was so limited, it would only be theirs.

^^


End file.
